IMAGE CAPTURING APPARATUS

• US 20090213238A1
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hara, Takayuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,106,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects

Abstract

The present invention provides an image capturing apparatus comprising an image capturing element configured to convert an optical image into an image signal, a signal processing unit configured to apply signal processing to the image signal and to output the processed image signal, a super-resolution processing unit configured to apply, when a still image of the object is to be captured during capturing of a moving image of the object, super-resolution processing for enhancing a resolution by compositing a plurality of image signals output from the signal processing unit, and outputting an image signal required to generate the still image of the object, and an APC correction unit configured to apply APC correction processing for emphasizing an edge of each of the image signal output from the signal processing unit and the image signal output from the super-resolution processing unit, and to output the processed image signal.

Claims

1. An image capturing apparatus for capturing an image of an object, comprising:

an image capturing element configured to convert an optical image formed via a lens into an image signal;

a signal processing unit configured to apply signal processing to the image signal and to output the processed image signal;

a super-resolution processing unit configured to apply, when a still image of the object is to be captured during capturing of a moving image of the object, super-resolution processing for enhancing a resolution by compositing a plurality of image signals output from said signal processing unit, and outputting an image signal required to generate the still image of the object; and

an APC correction unit configured to apply APC correction processing for emphasizing an edge of each of the image signal output from said signal processing unit and the image signal output from said super-resolution processing unit, and to output the processed image signal.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a switching unit configured to switch an input to said APC correction unit so as to input the image signal output from said signal processing unit to said APC correction unit without going through said super-resolution processing unit when the moving image of the object is to be captured, and to input the image signal output from said signal processing unit to said APC correction unit via said super-resolution processing unit when the still image of the object is to be captured during capturing of the moving image of the object,

wherein said APC correction unit applies first APC correction processing for emphasizing an edge to the image signal input to said APC correction unit via said super-resolution processing unit, and applies second APC correction processing different from the first APC correction processing to the image signal input to said APC correction unit without going through said super-resolution processing unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said APC correction unit comprises:

a first APC correction unit configured to apply first APC correction processing for emphasizing an edge to the image signal output from said super-resolution processing unit, and to output the processed image signal; and

a second APC correction unit configured to apply second APC correction processing different from the first APC correction processing to the image signal output from said signal processing unit, and to output the processed image signal.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a first compression processing unit configured to apply compression processing to the image signal output from said first APC correction unit, and to output the processed image signal; and

a second compression processing unit configured to apply compression processing to the image signal output from said second APC correction unit, and to output the processed image signal.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a compression processing unit configured to apply compression processing to the image signal output from each of said first APC correction unit and said second APC correction unit; and

a switching unit configured to switch an input to said compression processing unit so as to input the image signal output from said second APC correction unit to said compression processing unit when the moving image of the object is to be captured, and to input the image signal output from said first APC correction unit to said compression processing unit when the still image of the object is to be captured during capturing of the moving image of the object.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing includes at least one of synchronization processing of color information included in the image signal, filter processing, separation processing for separating the image signal into a luminance signal and color-difference signals, gamma correction processing, and APC correction processing.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a degree of edge emphasis of the APC correction processing applied to the image signal by said signal processing unit is weaker than a degree of edge emphasis of the APC correction processing applied to the image signal by said APC correction unit.

8. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the signal processing includes at least one of synchronization processing of color information included in the image signal, filter processing, separation processing for separating the image signal into a luminance signal and color-difference signals, gamma correction processing, and APC correction processing.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a degree of edge emphasis of the APC correction processing applied to the image signal by said signal processing unit is weaker than a degree of edge emphasis of each of the first APC correction processing applied to the image signal by said first APC correction unit and the second APC correction processing applied to the image signal by said second APC correction unit.